


FF Challenge 2020 - Prince Charming

by SachikoKuroichi



Series: FF Prompt Challenge 2020 [6]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: 3!Dante - Freeform, 4!Dante, 4!Nero - Freeform, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:13:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29184570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SachikoKuroichi/pseuds/SachikoKuroichi
Relationships: Dante/Nero (Devil May Cry)
Series: FF Prompt Challenge 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697686
Kudos: 5





	FF Challenge 2020 - Prince Charming

Ship: 4!Nero/3!Dante (also 4!Nero/4!Dante in the end)

Genre: Comedy

Inspiration/Prompt: Prince Charming

Song: [Fairytale - Alexander Rybak (with lyrics)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evvuZXSRFQI)

* * *

Nero couldn’t believe his eyes. What exactly was this right before him?

“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

The young part demon groaned. This joke and fashion disaster in front of him did not just say that, did he?

“Better question: Did saying that hurt you as much as it pained me to hear it?”

The red clothed stranger whined and put a hand on his (naked) chest, gripping his “heart” and answered:

“You wound me! I think I’ll gonna die now. Is this dying man in front of you allowed to request a last wish?”

“Sure, tell me when you actually die. Until then, I’ll just go.”

In the blink of an eye the stranger teleported in front of him, effectively blocking his way. Nero was instinctively aiming his gun at him.

“You’re a rude fella. You didn’t even tell me your name. At least do that before you try to shoot me.”

Nero was on edge now, all the playfulness gone. The white hair already was a not so subtle hint that this guy meant trouble, but that he was actually able to teleport was just too much for him to let it slip.

“Who are you?” He growled at him, still pointing Blue Rose to his head.

“I guess it’s just fair to tell you my name. You’ll gonna need it so you can scream it into the night later on.”

A blush started to creep into Nero’s face, just to vanish as quickly as it appeared the moment the stranger’s name was revealed.

“I’m Dante. What’s your name, gorgeous?”

Everything in Nero came to a sudden halt. That had to be a copycat or some other demon trying to pull some trick on him to kill him. But why did it come to him in this… younger (?) form and not the one he actually already knew?

“Dante… sure.. care to tell me how old exactly you are?”

“Dante” was kinda taken aback by the weird question, but recovered pretty fast and answered.

“Didn’t know that there was an age limit on talking to someone gorgeous. But I think we’re the same age, so let’s break some rules together.”

A playful wink was added to that cheeky answer, which caused Nero to want to pull some of his hair out. And he’d thought that the older Dante was annoying already! But this version of him was actually way worse! He lowered Blue Rose and sighed.

“I really don’t know which kind of sick game you’re playing, demon, but I really don’t care. Leave this island, don’t harm anyone on your way out and I don’t have to kill you.”

Swords clashing was the next sound coming from the two hybrids.

“Bold of you to assume you could even place a single scratch on me.”

The tell tale sounds of two powerful beings fighting echoed over Fortuna Island. Not that many people were around, after the whole city got severely damaged just a few weeks prior.

Dante and Nero were panting heavily, both of them bleeding out of several wounds, but neither of them was backing down. The young part demon was confused. How did the copycat manage to copy Dante that good also while not doing it too perfectly to match the picture of being a younger, less experienced version of him?

“Let’s… call it a draw for now,” “Dante” suggested and let his sword vanish, “I would hate to damage such a pretty face… even when it heals fast.”

And back to flirting again. Nero was sure that he would lose his mind soon at that rate.

“Just fuck off. You saw that I can fight you. That wasn’t even my full potential yet.”

For some strange, unknown reason he didn’t want to draw Yamato and rely on his demonic power for this fight.

This time Nero was allowed to walk away from this strange encounter.

With Fortuna currently pretty uninhabited, he wasn’t too concerned about the demon’s presence. He was kinda the only one around, as his task was to rid the city of any leftover demons and other threats to the inhabitants of Fortuna Island. And one stupid copycat demon was not capable enough to sneak onto him and kill him in his sleep.

Days passed without seeing even as much as a single glimpse of the copycat Dante. Probably it really had left, Nero mused.

But then he started to notice some kinda obvious detail: The sudden lack of demons, which also resulted into him being able to get a decent amount of night’s rest. No stupid pests that bugged him, woke him up to just not be worth losing his sleep over them.

Where did they go?

With Fortuna City apparently cleaned, Nero made his way to Fortuna Castle, where he was greeted by a gigantic demon horde, consisting of Frosts, Bianco Angelos and various other nasty pests that were too persistent to be killed by one powerful hit. And they had the benefit of numbers. Nero had to be careful to not get overwhelmed by them.

That was the moment some gun shots echoed through the night, effectively making some dent into their numbers, which left Nero standing there dumbfounded, mouth hanging open, wondering about what he just witnessed.

“I know I’m a sight to behold, but how about we kill all those little fuckers first?”

Another round of bullets pierced into the demon horde. “Dante” jumped right next to Nero, smirking.

“I’m sure you can think of some way to thank me for my chivalrous act of coming to your rescue later.”

While winking at him, he put away his twin guns (an exact replica of those the real Dante carried around) and drew Rebellion (which looked kinda similar, but also somehow different from the one he came to know by fighting against it).

Nero also drew Red Queen and stared to rev up the engine before slashing through demon after demon.

“Why are you even helping me?”

“I’d be a lousy demon hunter if I wouldn’t kill demons that try to hurt a gorgeous being like you.”

Nero didn’t ponder to long on the compliment and rather concentrated on the first part. The fact that “Dante” claimed to be a demon hunter. That this copycat demon killed demon after demon. Just to keep him alive. Because he wants to earn his trust? So he can kill him himself?

Even while his thoughts were running hundred miles an hour and made his head spin, he was able to keep up with the pace “Dante” set for their fight. Nero couldn’t deny that they were a good team. Dancing around each other, a deadly dance, at least for their enemies, while they covered the blind spots and weaknesses of each other and talking was unnecessary. They moved in total harmony, just like if they had done so for years. Never before had Nero experienced something like that. Fighting while being completely at ease. At ease with his skills, with his demonic arm and him using his powers. He didn’t feel judged. He felt like an equal in this fight. While fighting at “Dante’s” side.

“Whew… Where did you pick up those moves? Watching you fight is pretty hot, you know?”

The blush forming on his cheeks was inevitable. His heart picked up speed and the young hybrid knew that it was no aftermath of the fight’s thrill. It rather was a side effect of being confronted with “Dante”.

That kind of encounters became a regular thing over the next days. Nero reaching demon hideouts one after another, “Dante” coming to his aid, them fighting together, a flirty line, Nero blushing and them going separate ways.

As predicted, Nero was slowly losing his mind over the copycat demon. It felt like a dream. He should’ve just killed him, but at this point he was too far gone to do that. He pretty much longed for his knight in shining armor to come and save him from the bad demons, not caring that he himself was one, probably still waiting for the right moment to kill him.

He knew that it was hopeless to get that much involved with the copycat, that he actually had a sweet girl at home and that the real Dante would be weirded out by him lusting after his younger self. But there was no way he could lie to himself any longer: He managed to fall in love with “Dante”, just like the fucking fool he was.

He then spent some time musing about why the copycat took exactly this image of Dante. Had Nero been crushing on the older man all the way back when they were fighting to save the city? He obviously had some problem with the age gap, taking the fact in consideration that his brain had come up with some younger version, cheeky, sassy, flirty, everything that was kinda Dante, but at the same time not entirely. And this hideous outfit! His signature colour was of course present, but the rest? Shirtless? Why did his brain come up with this particular image? Was he thirsting that much for the other one? To imagine him almost naked on a regular basis?

_One piece of clothing less to take off I guess._

Nero shook his head. It wasn’t like him to think such lewd things. Maybe this copycat was a lust demon after all.

The final nail into his metaphorical coffin was him noticing “Dante” fight off some demons that tried to ambush him while he was sleeping.

“You’re the reason for the lack of nightly encounters… why?”

“Dante” just smiled sheepishly, apparently he was embarrassed that he got caught.

“I figured it would be a nice thing to do? Making sure that you get some decent night’s sleep? Also it reduces the risk of you making mistakes and getting killed.”

Nero was at loss. He could just stare at the copycat demon, unable to answer. To think that out of all people… that out of all people a demon was the one that cared the most about him. About him and his safety.

“Well… enough of me making a fool out of myself, I should go-“

Nero interrupted the ramblings of the other one by using his Devil Bringer to grab him and pull him close enough to smash their lips together.

“Making a fool out of yourself never stopped you before, so why start now?” Nero mumbled against “Dante’s” lips, feeling the other one’s lips pull into a smirk.

There was no answer though and the moment Nero opened his eyes, “Dante” was standing some steps away, smiling sadly. The young part demon hadn’t sensed any movement at all.

“I guess my job here is done. I have to say, you’re the jackpot. Unfortunately not for me. Not yet.”

Before Nero could make sense out of those words, the red demon in front of him just vanished. Like he never existed in the first place. Gone without a trace.

Nero contemplated if he truly had gone insane. But there was still the tingling sensation left by the other one’s lips on his own and he was sure: This “Dante” had been real.

And something else was clear as day to him: He needed to find his Dante.

~*~

“What is this?” Nero asked, as he held a way too familiar red coat in his hand. Dante and he were currently decluttering the DMC so the younger hybrid could move in with his boyfriend.

Dante took the coat from him and laughed.

“Oh shit, never thought I’d see this one again. That’s the coat I wore as a teenager. I was a sassy little shit back then. Running around in this thing, shirtless I should add, flirting with everything I came across, terrible pick-up lines and absolutely no clue what I should do with my life. You would’ve hated my younger self. Probably would’ve kicked my lazy ass into next week too.”

Nero smiled to himself, confused, kinda sad too, but in the end happy about everything that happened back then, as it made him realise some important things. He still didn’t understand it, but he didn’t care anymore if it was a copycat demon or the real Dante that travelled through time, he was just glad that he’d been able to get to know him.

_Quite on the contrary. I fell in love with this stupid, sassy, cheeky, flirty, little shit. Be grateful for it, because you haven’t changed that much, my dear._


End file.
